africanlegalstudies.blog – Cutting edge analysis on key issues in African politics, law and development

The Fate of the SADC Tribunal After Zimbabwe’s Recent Move to Compensate the FTLRP Affected White Farmers
Introduction On 12 February 2025, the Finance Minister of Zimbabwe announced that the government of Zimbabwe intends to compensate 94 former farmers who were affected by the ‘Fast Track Land Reform Programme’ (FTLRP). Such farmers include the nationals of the United Kingdom (UK), Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and the former Yugoslavia. [1] This is…
Intergenerational Learning and Belonging in African Legal Studies: A conversation with Prof. Fareda Banda and Prof. Lea Mwambene
Introduction It is not every day that a conference opens with a work of art, but the African Legal Studies conference in Bayreuth chose to do precisely that. Marking the fifth anniversary of the Chair of African Legal Studies, the gathering drew scholars from across Africa other parts of the world to explore one unifying,…
From the Niger Delta to Global Academia: Dr Godswill Agbaitoro on Energy Justice
Introduction This interview was conducted by Merlin Mitschker during the “Law and Belonging” conference in Bayreuth. The conversation features Dr Godswill Agbaitoro, lecturer in International Energy and Environmental Law at the University of Essex. His work focuses on energy justice – a relatively new but increasingly relevant concept that examines fairness in the distribution of…

Branching Scenario Tool
Environmental Law and Climate Justice: Case Study on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Introduction Welcome to the Branching Scenarios Tool “Environmental Law and Climate Justice: Case Study on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline”! This digital tool was developed as part of a seminar held by the Chair of African Legal Studies at the…
Environmental Impact Assessment in Rwanda: Legal Framework and Challenges
Introduction Environmental impact assessments are essential processes used to evaluate the potential effects of a proposed project on the environment before implementation. In Africa, their integration into national legislation varies significantly, but most countries recognize their importance for sustainable development. Rwanda’s environmental law, Article 6, states that “The principle of information dissemination and incentives for…
International law instruments for greenhouse gas mitigation and sustainable development in Nigeria
Introduction Climate change in Nigeria could, for example, be attributed to the production of fossil fuels in which greenhouse gases (GHGs) are emitted. [1] A decrease in the production of fossil fuels is likely to affect the development of Nigeria. Hence, as a member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Nigeria will have…

Investment and Investor Protection in Somalia
Introduction With Somalia’s accession to the East African Community (EAC), the internal market of this community is also becoming increasingly attractive for foreign investments. A common market with over 300 million populations is developing, and there is not only a common internal market. It also has an excellent strategic location from the Indian Ocean to…
The East African Community: Past Experiences and Lessons for the Future
Introduction The East Africa Community (EAC) is one of the oldest regional economic blocs in the world.[1] Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, as members of EAC, had a customs union as early as 1927.[2] While this regional bloc collapsed in 1977, it was re-established in 2000 and grew from three to eight countries, including Uganda, Kenya,…
The Legal Analysis of Community Rights in Environment Decision-Making in the Federal Republic of Somalia
Introduction People often feel hopeless and powerless to protect the environment, themselves, their families and their individual rights. However, through the creative use of the law, a number of notable successes for the environment and people have been recorded in many countries.[1] Environmental decision-making in Somalia stands at the intersection of legal, social, and environmental considerations, with…

The Fate of the SADC Tribunal After Zimbabwe’s Recent Move to Compensate the FTLRP Affected White Farmers
Introduction On 12 February 2025, the Finance Minister of Zimbabwe announced that the government of Zimbabwe intends to compensate 94 former farmers who were affected by the ‘Fast Track Land Reform Programme’ (FTLRP). Such farmers include the nationals of the United Kingdom (UK), Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and the former Yugoslavia. [1] This is…
A Court Left Behind: How Parallel DRMs are Undermining Regional Integration in the EAC
The EACJ in the Shadows of Integration The process of regional integration presents a range of challenges and contentious issues. Those include, matters related to elimination of customs duties and Non-tariff barriers (NTBs), tariffs and other Charges Having Equivalent Effects (CHEEs), Quantitative restrictions or measures having an equivalent effect to quantitative restrictions (MEQRs), among others.…
The Success Stories of ECOWAS Citizenship: A Lesson for SADC to Learn
Introduction The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has greatly advanced the integration of the member states’ citizens compared to the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This is because of the success of the ECOWAS in creating and operationalizing ECOWAS citizenship. The ECOWAS citizenship tends to differentiate ECOWAS from other Regional Economic Communities (RECs)…